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Commute for many this AM is a travail, because the Red Line is moving like a snail

The MBTA reports "a track condition" discovered during an overnight inspection is forcing trains to go wicked slow between Harvard and Central. And word just in that a train is stuck at Central because its doors won't open.

If I could walk across the Mystic I would have. But I spent nearly an HOUR getting from Chelsea to Haymarket Station. The traffic was unbelievable. THEN I missed the E train, which caused me miss the 88 by 30 seconds.. so yeah.

The thing that should really precede any fare increase is a robust refund system. I completely understand why a refund system would be problematic. The MBTA would often times find itself in the position of refunding pass holders enough money such that it exceeds the cost of the pass. Not my problem.

A thing I make mention of a lot when I complain about the T here is a need for some walkable space between stations, parallel to the train tunnels, so that it is roughly possible for someone to walk from station to station. Today was a day that passengers could have easily outpaced trains if they had the option to walk unimpeded between stations.

Previously she worked for the Conservation Law Foundation which sues government for more public transit among other socialist causes. Thank them for suing to get the glx. Baker hired her to give critics the chance to fix problems, on a daily basis.

Stephanie Pollack does not run the T. She's the person over the person who runs the T. She also is in charge of the highways, including the turnpike. I don't recall the peanut gallery pondering why she wasn't on Route 128 at the crack of dawn last Friday when the beer truck rolled over.

Every Conservation Law Foundation transportation effort is a poorly-planned disaster. Greenbush cannibalized ferry users and added millions in debt. The Worcester Extension added so many barely used park & ride stations it sometimes takes 2hrs to get to Boston (also millions in debt). The buses to and from Logan are rolling sardine cans of body odor (a great way to say welcome to Boston). And the 2 billion Green Line Ext is pushing out thousands of poor working families and students to make room for rich venture capitalists. Who was the dummy who pushed all of these projects? What CLF screamer claimed Mass had to build these projects even if it meant bankrupting the state? That's right. Stephanie Pollack.

I could see the claim that the Old Colony and Greenbush lines sucked infrastructure dollars, but thankfully they rectified that so that the Red Line is being cared for while everyone’s, and I mean everyone but you, favorite transit expansion can be completed.

I can’t wait for opening day. We should take our first ride together. I’ll save you a seat.

Pollack runs the Executive Office of Transportation. Under her is the Chief Executive of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, who is Steve Poftak. His presence would be good, but not necessary. Beneath him somewhere is the head of maintenance, whose name I do not know since I don't work for the T. He should have been on site. Was he? I mean, I was at work, so I didn't see who was on site.

But let's be clear about what happened. The T is doing maintenance that is so overdue that I remember reading about how it needed to be done a decade ago but are now, let's say under the leadership of Pollack, getting around to doing. Someone spotted a safety defect that could have lead to a derailment and possibly injuries. Yet somehow this is Pollack's fault?

Until the T invests in updating the existing lines it will be a continuing issue. All the worry about spending for commuter rail extensions to Mars.( thanks Deval ) is sapping any real change to the archaic system in the inner city. When are the Olympics coming What a joke that would have been.

that was announced on the PA (and included on the MBTA website) turned out to be a medical emergency involving a passenger who had fallen on the tracks and was injured/unable to move.

A Red Line operator announced this to the passengers on the delayed train I was on about a week ago.

I guess the other side of the coin is not announcing delays/incidents in a fear-inducing manner, like, "OH SHIT BRO SOMEBODY JUST JUMPED IN FRONT OF A FRIGGIN TRAIN YOOOO THIS SHIT IS BUCK, BRO, EXPECT DELAYS, KHED THIS IS NUTS" over the MBTA intercom.